Salmonella enterica Infection of Synanthropic Non-native Geckos in Southern Florida

AbstractWild geckos are a significant source of human salmonellosis. We swabbed the cloacas of 37 non-native synanthropic geckos (Gekko gecko, n = 16;Phelsuma grandis,n = 21) from southern Florida, USA, and assayed swab DNA extracts using quantitative polymerase chain reaction of theinvA gene.Salmonella enterica was detected in both species with a pooled prevalence of 13.5% (5/37; 95% CI 5.3 –27.1%), indicating the potential for zoonotic transmission. Implications for human health in the region are discussed.
Source: EcoHealth - Category: Environmental Health Source Type: research